This invention relates to a mechanism for mounting and venting an outdoor junction box or other enclosure containing electrical components or telephone lines and the like, and in particular, to provide ventilation into an outdoor enclosure while at the same time shielding the interior of the enclosure from the elements.
Junction enclosures have long been used to collect and protect telephone and electrical wires for distribution, splicing, cross connection and other uses. In the telephony arts, such junction enclosures are more commonly known as junction boxes, network interface units (NIUs) and/or building entrance protectors (BEPs).
In a telephone network, a network cable from the central office is connected to a BEP located at the customer site, where the individual telephone lines are broken out line by line. The network cable, which consist of a plurality of tip-ring wire pairs that each represent a telephone line, is typically connected to a connector block that is an integral part of the BEP. Such connectors may be, for example, the ubiquitous 66-type punch down connector, or an SC 99 type connector block, such as are available from Lucent Technologies Inc. The customer telephone equipment is coupled through the connector block to a central office (CO) telephone line.
The BEP may, of necessity, be located outdoors. The BEP has a lockable outer door to protect the electrical components from the weather and for security and other reasons.
Mounting brackets are normally attached to the outer surfaces of these outdoor enclosures in order to prevent water from entering the enclosure through the mounting holes. Since the mounting holes are located on the outside, unauthorized people can remove the mounting screws. Furthermore, venting holes are normally formed in the bottom side of an outdoor enclosure. During inclement weather, water can enter the enclosure through the venting hole. Water collected inside the enclosure can eventually damage the components located within a enclosure.
The present invention provides a mechanism for mounting and venting of outdoor enclosures. The mechanism provides for convenient mounting while allowing the venting of the outdoor enclosure and also preventing water and other elements from entering the enclosure, thus avoiding the risk of damaging components mounted or stored in the interior of the enclosure.
The mounting bracket of the present invention is constructed such that the enclosure is made to mount in spaced apart relation from a mounting surface on dome shaped spacers. The internal surface of the spacer includes a keyhole shaped aperture known in the art for permitting passage of a screw or nail head or other securement member through one portion of the aperture and retention of the shank is in a second, narrower aperture portion. The bottom side of the spacer has venting holes formed therein. The mounting bracket provides ventilation to the interior of the box because air can travel from outside the enclosure through the vent holes, up through the lower portion of the keyhole shaped mounting aperture and into the interior of the box.
The spacers are located on a rear wall of the enclosure and are constructed of a rigid material and can be constructed of the same material as that of the enclosure. The external surface of the mounting bracket is preferably dome shaped, having a curved top and elongated sides which may extend to a position lower than the bottom side of the bracket. The external surface may also have a portion which forms a lip around the external surface of the mounting bracket. This lip is so configured as to help to channel water down the sides of the mounting bracket. Because the sides preferably extend beyond the bottom portion of the mounting bracket, water is prevented from entering the enclosure through the venting holes. Furthermore, having the mounting holes on the inside of the enclosure deters unauthorized users from tampering with the enclosure, since generally only authorized people can open the enclosure and reach the mounting screws. The ordinary, art recognized security mechanism that secures the enclosure would therefore also act as a security mechanism to prevent access to the mounting screws.